Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-01-20

I u knowed thetS the way ye'd take the
news. knowed the mint sot eyes on We
tibet We war good grit. l never git fooled
much fooled in my guess O peoples backbone
Thar wuz Harry Glen--all his own comrades
thot he wuz white bout the liver, but | seed
the mint laid my eyes onto him thet he he'd
ez good, stan'-up stuff in him ez ennybody,
wen he got over his fust fightinessn
Had this man some scheme that would
bring her lover and her together. "But
what do you want Of mem Rachel asked,
with all the composure she could summon
1 "Suthing cussed sight more hcn'rable an
more useful ter Their gover'mint then stayini
4 round heah nassia' these loafers," he an
swered roughly Hist! thars shadder nigh
/ yon winder" lie crossed the room with the
quick, silent tread Of panther, and his face
darkened as lie saw the objectionable red
headed and black bearded men walking away
| toward the parade ground, with their backs
to the window Yer orful CUTE he said,
talking to himself, and alluding TO the retir-
ing figures, "but eff l don't gin We a trip afore
long tLet'Il make yer heels break yer pizen
necks | hope ! may never see Rockassel
mountings agin. I'd do hit now, but I'm
a-trailin' bigger game When hits my day
/ fur kiln skunls look out--ihet's all
Returning 20 the expectant Rachel he con-
tinued
a leave ter-nishtfur tie Confederate army
at Mmfreesboro Ole Rosy hisself sends me,
but I'm ter pick out the messengers ter send
my news hack ter him by. | must hev sew
raj SOS o. make dead sho tibet ev'rything
reaches i'm. want We fur the main one, be-
kase we've got brains an san, and then We
kin git thru the lines where a man can't
Thar'll he notliin' bad bout hit Yen ride
ter Murfreesboro an back on yer own hoss,
ez a young lady should, an if We accomplish
anything hit'll be a greater sarvicc tew the
country then most men kin do in Their lives
Hitll be sum'thing to be proud of ez longs We
live Win We try hitt'
"Why don't you bring back the imforma-
ton YOURSELF Can't you come back through
the lines as easily as you go3'
II mout an then agin ] moutn't Every
time | go inter the Confederit camps the
chances get stronger tibet I'll never come back
aS'in. Ez Harry Glen sez the circle o my
unpleasant acquaintances-the fellers thet's
reachin' fur my top-knot-widers. Thar's 50
many more on era layin' fur me all the time,
tibet the prospects keeps gittin' brighter every
day tibet by-anby they'll fetch me. The
arrant I'm a-gwine on now is too important
ter take any res6s bout. I'm saTtin ter cit
the information thet Gineral Rosy wants, but
whether | kin git hit back ter him IS ruther
dubersome. i must hev some help. VIII ye
jne in with me.'
But how am | to know that gil this is as
you say1a eo
by readin these ere passes, all signed BY
Gineral Rosencrans' own hand, or by takin' a
walk with me up ter headquarters, whar
they'll tell We thet I'm all right, an ez straight
e2 a string"
'But how can Go what you want! know
nothing of the country, nor the people, and
still less of this kind Of service. would prob
ably make blundcr that would spoil ell. /"
"Ill resk the plumbers. Ye kin ride crtter
back, can't yea
Rachel owned that She was pretty fair
horsewoman
Then all 70 hev ter DO is ter sit yerseif up
ez We see the young women who are ridin'
round heah, an airly on the day arter to-
morrow mornin' mognt a bIooded mar tle.
yea find standn afore the door thar, all
rugged out ez fine cz silk, an so down the
Lavergne turnpike at sharp canter jes ~
though we war gwine somewhat. Nobody on
our lines'll be likely ter say anything ter We,
but eff they do yen show EN- a pass from Gin
eral Rosy, which, howsoever, yen tar up
afore ye reach Lavergne, fur yen likely find
some o t'other folks thar Ell any O them at
Lavcrgnc axes We impcrent questions, We must
hev q story ready bout yer bein the Mash
vile niece J Aunt Dcbby Brill, who lives on
the left hand o the Nashville pike, jest north
o. the public squar in Murfreesboro, an ye're
on yer way ter pay yer oie aunty long
promised visit" b
There is such a woman in Murfreesboro|
Yes, an she's talked a great deal bout her
niece in Mas willie, who's comm ter see her. |
though" the earnestness Of the eyes relaxed
to a suspicion of a twinkle-"thet sometime |
mout come across sch q niece fur the ole lady,
an hit wuz well ter be prepared fur her"
"But suppose they ask me about things III
Nashville"
"Wl, We must fix upa story bout tibet, too
Yc needn be very partil kelar what hit is, so
longs hits awful savage on the Yankees. Be
keerful ter say frequently thet the Yankees is
awful sick o their job o holdin Nashville;
chat their new Dutch gineral is mean brute,
an coward beside; tibet he's skeered bout
out'n his wits half the time,' an he's buidin'
the biggest kind o forts to hide behind an
tibet he won't dare show his nose outside o
them-leastways not this ere winter. Talk
ez much ez ye kin bout the soicrs gwine inter
winter quarters; bout tbom being mcrtally
sal'tia not ter do anything tell next spring,
an bout them dcsaitin' by rijinints an brig
;ules an gwiae hone, bekase they're sick an
tired o the war.
Ny, said Rachel with a gasp, what aw
ful things to tell
Yes returned the scout, complacently,
Il s'posed hit'd strike You theta-way. But
my experience with war is thct hits jest plum
full O awful things In fact hit don't seem
ter hev much else in hit All We hev ter az
yerself is whether this is nigh on ter oz awful
e. the things they 'uns do TO we 'uns Be
sides, we uns are likely to give they 'uns in
few days q heap more interestin things ter
think about then the remarkable stories told
by young ladies out fur a nornin ride.
"I'll take some hours to think this matter
over, said Rachel, "and give you your an-
swcr this afternoon ThaGll be time enough,
VIII it not."
Heaps an plenty, ma'am,n he answered,
as lie rose to 60 "She'n go he added to
himself I'm not fooled a mite on thet ere
stock I'll jest go to headquarters an git
things ready for herr
He was right. The prospect Of doing an
important service On a grand occasion was
stimulus enough for Rachel's daring spirit to
make her undertake anything, and when
Fortner returned in the afternoon he found
her eager to set out upon the enterprise.
But as the evening came on, with its de
pressing shadows and silence, she felt the
natural reaction that follows taking an ir-
rcvocable step The loneliness Of her I'M
lighted room was peopled with ghostly mem
cries Of the horrors inflicted upon spies, and
of tales she had heard Of the merciiess cruelty
of the Confederates among whom she was
going. She had TO hold her breath to keep
from shrieking aloud at the terrors conjured
up before her vision Then the spasm passed,
and drawer thoughts reasserted themselves
Fortners inalvertert words Of praise Of
Harry Glen were recalled, and began glow
ing like pots Of incense to sweeten and
purify the choking vapors in her imagina-
ton.
Could it be that Harry had reallNretrieved
himself, He had certainly gained the rot
easily won admiration Of this brave man,
and it had all been 10 render himself worthy
Of her. There was rapture in the thought.
Then her own heroic aspirations wclicd up
again, bringing intoxication at the prospect
of ending the distasteful routine Of nursing,
by taking an active part in what would be q
grand event Of history. Fears and misgiv-
ings vanished like the msts of the morning.
She thought only Of how to accomplish her
mission.
She lighted o candle and wrote four let
ters-one to her mother, one to DIR. DenSlow,
one to Harry Glen in care of his mother and
one to the hospital steward. asking him to